Mithuna Couple, after Ajanta

ca. 1950–52

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

This study of a royal couple is styled after loving couples (mithuna) depicted in courtly scenes in the murals at the Buddhist rock-cut caves of Ajanta, in western India. Here Srimati consciously celebrated that great legacy of sixth-century Indian painting. Contemporary literary sources tell us that the palaces and grand houses of the era were adorned in a similar manner, but it is the murals that survive at Ajanta that best demonstrate the mastery of painting in early India.

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

References

Title: Mithuna Couple, after Ajanta
Artist: Y. G. Srimati (Indian, 1926–2007)
Date: ca. 1950–52
Culture: India (Chennai)
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: Image: 12 5/8 × 12 3/4 in. (32.1 × 32.4 cm)
Mat: 22 × 28 in. (55.9 × 71.1 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Lent by Michael Pellettieri
Curatorial Department: Asian Art